Does it sometimes feel like a challenge getting through to your customers? I don’t blame you. Customer engagement is hard work. With so many modern distractions vying for attention, getting your customers to actively engage will require some creative tactics.
Here’s four ways your restaurant can’t improve customer engagement.
Social WiFi. Social WiFi (also known as WiFi Marketing) puts your restaurant’s in-store HotSpot to work. Like I said, customers are constantly distracted, and mobile phones are just about the number one culprit. Social WiFi takes advantage of this, offering customers Internet access in exchange for a quick email, phone number, or social media login.
That’s where the engagements kicks in gear. Once they’ve logged in, customers are presented with a custom landing page, entirely unique to your restaurant. There, you can promote your latest specials, deals, and more. You can even show off upcoming events or promote your social media page.
SMS and Email Engagement. Make sure engagement doesn’t stop when customers walk out the door. By leveraging text and email marketing, you can keep customers thinking about your restaurant wherever they go.
Text marketing is a particularly powerful, yet personal engagement tactic. Texts are short, quick, and get the point across fairly quickly without demanding too much of the customer. Whether you’re reminding customers about an upcoming reservation or just promoting tonight’s Happy Hour, texting can add an entirely new layer of engagement for your restaurant.
If you need to get a little more comprehensive, that’s where email marketing comes in. Email allows you to include vivid imagery, which can really help out when you’re trying to promote your latest special. If you have a variety of things to promote, you can package together detailed newsletters highlighting new menus, events, content, and more.
Social WiFi pairs nicely with both text and email marketing in a number of ways. Not only do Social WiFi services automatically collect phone numbers and emails, they can also be set to send automated messaging triggers based on specific parameters (e.g. birthday texts, welcome back texts, etc.).
Digital Loyalty Program. The natural goal of customer engagement is the development of loyal customers. And, when it comes to fostering loyalty, there’s no better way to do so than with, you guessed it, loyalty programs. Now, as you may have noticed, I’m not talking specifically about loyalty programs. I’m talking about digital loyalty programs. If you’re still rocking a physical program these days, maybe it’s time to reconsider.
Why? Consider the digital engagement methods that I’ve already laid out: WiFi, SMS, and Email. Doesn’t it make sense to integrate your loyalty program into that? (Instead of say, a hole-punch card?) With digital loyalty, you can send your customers flash deals, run exclusive contests, and even automate entire campaigns in advance.
Digital Menus and TV. Want to attract your customers’ attention? Put a screen in front of them. With Social WiFi, you’ve already covered their smartphones. Now seal the deal with TV.
Digital signage packs a whole host of benefits for restaurants. With a digital menu in place, you’re creating a more immersive restaurant experience. Constantly update your menu as you see fit, accounting for specials, price changes, images, and more. Digital menus are large, clear, and can help highlight items customers might not have considered ordering in the first place.
Of course, that’s not the only use you can get out of digital signage. With a service like CoGoTV, you can create valuable social engagement. You’ll be able to set it so that when customers post pictures in your restaurant, they’ll be able to display on the TV. This puts the spotlight on your social media page and has a positive impact on word-of-mouth.
Customer Engagement With CoGoBuzz
CoGoBuzz brings it all together, setting your restaurant up with the ultimate customer engagement service. Leveraging advanced WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, our service reaches your customers on the devices that they use most.
Whether in-store or out, CoGoBuzz is designed from-the-ground-up to provide the customer engagement that your restaurant needs. Our service redefines your mobile experience, delivering in-store engagement through free, fast, and secure WiFi. Thanks to automatic data capture, we’ll set you up with valuable customer profiles. Build your email list, social media following, and more!
Ready to adopt an all-digital loyalty program? CoGoBuzz comes packed with a text-based loyalty program, designed to keep your customers constantly coming back. It’s easy and intuitive. How about digital signage? Our CoGoTV service will set you up with Social TV, Digital Menu Boards, Tap Lists, Video, and Interactive Ads!
Click here to learn more about CoGoBuzz!
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What does your restaurant do to engage customers? Sound off in the comments!